Senshinkan Matsuya

“Impeccable.”

Absolute perfection. I felt genuinely touched by the heartfelt service provided by the innkeeper and her son. We felt welcomed and taken care of in their home. The room was spotless and you can feel the history and care of this 350 year old property. We understand the son is the 13th generation … more

Absolute perfection. I felt genuinely touched by the heartfelt service provided by the innkeeper and her son. We felt welcomed and taken care of in their home. The room was spotless and you can feel the history and care of this 350 year old property. We understand the son is the 13th generation owner and the pride shows. This ryokan does not have the typical musty smell in other old buildings. Finally, the bath was great. Super hot water and clean. You are allowed to book a private session for the evening and morning you stay. Couldn’t have been more pleased, especially at the reasonable price offered.

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“Friendly, comfortable Ryokan in historic part of Shibu Onsen”

Wonderful stay here. The owners are friendly and very helpful! Very good service. They have 2 private onsen in the basement that are available to book at no extra charge. The rooms are tranquil and comfortable (traditional tatami) The breakfast was really enjoyable too. Stairs are quite steep- so k… more

Wonderful stay here. The owners are friendly and very helpful! Very good service. They have 2 private onsen in the basement that are available to book at no extra charge. The rooms are tranquil and comfortable (traditional tatami) The breakfast was really enjoyable too. Stairs are quite steep- so keep that in mind if your mobility isn’t great

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“Absolutely amazing experience ”

Staying at Senshinkan Matsuya was the highlight of our trip to Japan. We new we were booking something totally out of our comfort zone but wanted to experience the culture. I am so glad we booked here as I highly recommend the entire experience. We found the staff to be very welcoming. As we ar… more

Staying at Senshinkan Matsuya was the highlight of our trip to Japan. We new we were booking something totally out of our comfort zone but wanted to experience the culture. I am so glad we booked here as I highly recommend the entire experience. We found the staff to be very welcoming. As we arrived after 2.30pm we were picked up from the station. With the key to the onsens we enjoyed 5 of them, thankfully each time we were alone. My husband would go into the males and my daughter and I would go into the females, each time holding our breath to see if someone was in there. The township is lovely and we enjoyed wondering around. We ate dinner at a local restaurant. We booked the breakfast with our stay and again as a fussy eater I was out of my comfort zone but embraced the food and ate it all. I again highly recommend breakfast, it was traditional and the ambiance was lovely. After breakfast we were dropped to the Snow Monkeys and our luggage was stored at a designated spot arranged by the Ryokan staff near the station. Visiting the snow monkeys early was amazing, like truly amazing. We loved every minute of our stay from the rooms, the key to the onsens, breakfast and the assistance provided. I would highly recommend.

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“Great location and a nice basic traditional Ryokan”

A nice little traditional Ryokan in an amazing location and very close to the Snow Monkeys. The rooms are fine, pretty basic but they do the job. The Onsen in the venue is nice and you are in very close proximity to about 8 other public onsens. We did find that there was not much open in the area b… more

A nice little traditional Ryokan in an amazing location and very close to the Snow Monkeys. The rooms are fine, pretty basic but they do the job. The Onsen in the venue is nice and you are in very close proximity to about 8 other public onsens. We did find that there was not much open in the area but this could have been due to the season. The owner (the husband) provides a shuttle bus to see the monkeys in the morning which is pretty handY, but you'll need to take the bus back plus a 2km walk. Unfortunately though I can't give this accommodation a higher rating because the husband was just generally unpleasant and not very friendly - he also just watched my partner struggle with her suitcase up the stairs rather than offering assistance, which is the minimum you would normally expect from any good accommodation. Also, everything is on a very strict shechdule and quite regimented - in the morning my partner found out her family dog was being put to sleep, so she was quite upset and we were a but slow in getting ready for the 9am bus to see the monkeys, however, at 8:50 the owner was knocking our door and seemed quite angry that we were not already downstairs and he told us people were waiting, even though it wasn't even 9am yet. Unfortunately this attitude didn't make us feel any better that morning but thankfully the Snow Monkeys did! On another note though, the female staff all seemed very pleasant so it's a shame that the husband tainted our experience there.

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